Bridgetown Harness Racing ClubHarness & Greyhounds

JayJay

Both
of the Bridgetown Meetings were great examples of community racing,
well organised, big crowds, perfect weather, trophies on every race
thanks to great local sponsors, good fields, the states top drivers and
trainers in attendance as well as the local owners and hobbyists. The track for the second meeting was superb with Steve DeCampo helping out, given all the earthworks going on at the ground unavoidably adversely affected the surface for the first meeting.

Why on
earth anyone would ever contemplate shutting down these tracks and
clubs is beyond rational thought. Well done to the Committee and
volunteers on presenting two days of cracking racing. There should be
more of it.

Putting the harness side of things aside, these are great community events for the towns, they bring people together, the Fire brigade vollies man the gate, the Footy Club do the Bar, The primary School the catering and so on, each organisation gets a financial slice of the pie and the Club itself remains extremely financial. You don't hear of the local community being forced to have its 2 day show at Waroona or Brunswick and the local footy club would never be told to play its games in Bunbury.

Hopefully sanity will prevail for the small cost it takes to put on these meetings.

warrenrobinson

The history of Harness Racing is long, when you do a problem solving exercise on harness the one item that stands out above all is the introduction of mobile racing. I can still remember when it was first used and the hype around it was enormous but it didn't take long for the industry to realize that turnover was decreasing on mobile races due to no handicapping so they stop using it and went back to total handicap racing.  History tells us that it was again introduced and here we sit today at the bottom of the well. We can all have a opinion what's best but the fact is it has failed and we still have people saying mobile is best, my answer to you what has it done for our industry.   Why blame clubs for poor turnover when they are not the problem it's the system. The HWOE was introduced some 5 years and 4 months ago saying this will rejuvenate our industry and not one KPI has been achieved. History tells us that closing clubs is not the answer and i have the stats to prove it. No participants, no turnover, no industry.

warrenrobinson

Insanity is when you keep doing same thing over and over  again expecting a different result.

savethegame

Only true form of handicapping standing starts which allow more variable's which in turn allows less odds-on favourites, Plus better dividends novelties. Fremantle cup was a stand then mobile then back to stand now mobile again. Champions will always find there right level in individual states Pure Steel won fremantle cup from 35m.

Do believe the tip of pyramid inters shouldn't
have ever been subject to handicaps when the best assemble from the States & N.Z.

Paleface Adois & Pure Steel started from 15m. Couple times each.

Markovina

JayJay said:

Both
of the Bridgetown Meetings were great examples of community racing,
well organised, big crowds, perfect weather, trophies on every race
thanks to great local sponsors, good fields, the states top drivers and
trainers in attendance as well as the local owners and hobbyists. The track for the second meeting was superb with Steve DeCampo helping out, given all the earthworks going on at the ground unavoidably adversely affected the surface for the first meeting.

Why on
earth anyone would ever contemplate shutting down these tracks and
clubs is beyond rational thought. Well done to the Committee and
volunteers on presenting two days of cracking racing. There should be
more of it.

Putting the harness side of things aside, these are great community events for the towns, they bring people together, the Fire brigade vollies man the gate, the Footy Club do the Bar, The primary School the catering and so on, each organisation gets a financial slice of the pie and the Club itself remains extremely financial. You don't hear of the local community being forced to have its 2 day show at Waroona or Brunswick and the local footy club would never be told to play its games in Bunbury.

Hopefully sanity will prevail for the small cost it takes to put on these meetings.

Your 2nd last paragraph their -well that could be written by former Victorian Premier Denis Napthine - because they are exactly the reasons he stated when he reopened a number of small Trots/gallop club tracks - or saved them from being shut

And these clubs are only getting 1-2 meetings a year - normally an annual Cup Meeting - so they are not going to break the bank so it is a no brainer to keep them open 

Watching some of the replays it was a very pleasant sight to see so many people attending , which is a very rare event for WA Harness racing , compared to E/States small country meetings